3. “Early Christian Doctrines” by J.ND. Kelly. A fantastic outline of the development of Christian thought. Explores religious and philosophical influences prior to Christ and summarizes Church teaching from the Apostolic Era to the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. Very valuable book.

Now onto the recent pleasure reads:

4. “Ride the Tiger” by Julius Evola. This is one of the Baron’s major works. To ride the tiger is to 1) recognize the futility of actively resisting modern organizations and institutions that can’t possibly allow man to fully “realize himself” and 2) seek spiritual meaning in the principles of Tradition.

5. “Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It” by Gary Taubes. I wrote in edition two of Evan’s Recent Reads that I had read Taubes’s “The Case Against Sugar.” I liked it and felt his other, earlier books were worth exploring. “Why We Get Fat” implicates carbs—namely refined carbs, starch, sucrose, and high fructose corn syrup. An astounding statistic he provides as well: an extra twenty calories a day, without extra physical activity, can lead to fifty extra pounds of fat in twenty years. So when you start to feel even slightly full, stop eating.